#035. The Guild Union Supervisor is too Nice (2)

#035. The Guild Union Supervisor is too Nice (2)

Rare requests sometimes come to the guild.

Ruin-related requests, discovered with sparse probability, are representative.

‘There are a lot of unfair patterns hidden in it, but if you safely avoid all the unfairness, you can get a high reward.’

That’s why a skilled adventurer party or talent specialized in the request is needed.

Fortunately, we had a proven talent through the collaboration between Herald Yuzu and miner Joseph, who had made great contributions to abandoned mine dungeon mapmaking.

My conscience pricked at this wicked act of using my knowledge as a player to facilitate a request that my mother’s clan would monopolize, but if I didn’t do this, I wouldn’t be able to help my mother anymore.

“Decided to accept the request.”

“Mm.”

“Good job.”

“…Mm.”

“But next time, pass it on to the guild leader.”

Mother didn’t tolerate the risks I took.

“A big request comes with a hefty price for misjudgment. Sodeom is a softie, but when the situation gets tough, who knows how human nature will twist.”

Twice betrayed by her husband, Ronoa, the 3rd ward boss, this was a possibility Mother couldn’t easily dismiss.

“This is a rare chance. Come to the site. Seeing with your own eyes that your mother is stronger than anyone will stop you from these rash actions.”

To ease my worries, Mother drafted me for this mission.

Thanks to her, I was stuck amongst the Teresa Clan, watching the client alongside them.

Unlike dungeons, there’s no limit to the number of entrants at ruins, so practically everyone attended this commission.

Mother Teresa, guardian knight Gorgo, centaur archer Nina, feline martial artist Hanyanya, former assassin Shoa, messenger Yuz, ex-adventurer-turned-miner Joseph, my sister Anna, who I couldn’t leave behind, and me.

A party of seven, two burdens, and one client.

Truth be told, since I couldn’t go to the abandoned mine dungeon, my curiosity was immense.

How much stronger had Mother become in the meantime?

How strong was the full party of the Teresa Clan?

“Digma. Small-sized 4th-class monsters, infamously good at finding underground structures and squatting there.”

The fact that hostile subterranean creatures had emerged immediately proved why large siege weapons shouldn’t be brought into ruins.

Like the abandoned mine dungeon where fragments of Malax were found, any dungeon where earth-burrowing creatures appear has unstable foundations.

*Tap. Tap.*

Dwarves spread along both sides of the passage, crawling up the walls and ceiling, thrusting out tainted claws and plundered arms.

Nina’s arrows and Shoa’s daggers felled some Digma, but against the swarming numbers, so dense you could hit them no matter where you aimed, it wasn’t a significant blow.

“Let’s go.”

In response, Mother shouldered the enormous greatsword she’d purchased with the request fee.

Leaping from an iron sword to a greatsword, the weapon traced a remarkable arc, befitting its size.

*Thwack.*

Four or five Digma were cleaved in a single strike.

The Digma, who’d hesitated as many fell, rushed forward again, but Mother’s greatsword relentlessly swung, rising with the same speed it struck down.

Greatsword Art – Returning Slash.

With the onslaught in front stemmed, Nina focused solely on the ceiling.

Hanyanya and Shoa blocked the waves on the left and right with overwhelming force, sealing the passage like an iron wall.

The few intruders that managed to squeeze through the gaps were swiftly dealt with by the talented rogue Yuz and the ex-adventurer Joseph.

Gorgo, protecting me, Anna, and the client, didn’t even have a chance to step forward.

“This is an ancient ruin, most likely the crumbled sanctuary of the ＜God of Frozenness＞.”

Joseph, who was drawing a map with Yuz while avoiding dangerous terrain, clicked his tongue as he observed the decorations on the dusty pillars.

“The God of Frozenness often made contracts to freeze people in an era where survival was harsh, promising to unfreeze them when a livable era arrived. Half of these ancient ruins are often these frozen sanctuaries scattered across the continent.”

In short, a secret base filled with cryo-pods.

Knowledge to be used upon awakening, essential facilities, seed vaults, treasure troves – elements that would drive adventurers, who lust after treasure, wild.

The problem was that among the treasures they stockpiled were artifacts with powerful mana reactions.

And, as the God of Frozenness never anticipated, a livable era for his followers never arrived.

Once the era where the sanctuary was protected by the blessing of Frozenness passed, subterranean races flocked to the frozen sanctuaries, drawn by the mana reactions.

The subterranean creatures devour their prey and consume their treasures to further their own evolution.

If humans discover them?

The owners of the treasures are all killed or abandoned, and their wealth is plundered.

The Frozen Sanctuary and its cryo-subjects were little more than a charity case, a handout for any and all.

“Well, we managed to snag ourselves a ruin. Whether we’re too late, or if there’s anything left to salvage, remains to be seen.”

The client, realizing this too, brightened considerably.

Naturally, our objective shifted to loot recovery.

Expectations ran high.

This many monsters meant they’d been breeding.

Doubtless, the cryo-subjects had been devoured wholesale.

Judging by the scale, not a small number of people had gone down the gullet.

Surely, the amount of treasure slumbering within the sanctuary was proportional.

Unlike people, mana-infused treasures weren’t easily digested.

And powerful entities wouldn’t simply hand over treasures to just anyone, so while the common gold coins might be divided, the precious artifacts likely remained intact.

“Teresa, my dear. Do we *really* have to find all this?”

Yuzu, blessed from birth with stats and skills practically screaming ‘thief,’ was displaying his more avaricious tendencies.

“Even if we *do* find treasure, there’s been no promise from the client that we’ll get a cut of the spoils. Unless we secure our share, aren’t we just asking to get fleeced after our contract is up and their own people move in to loot?”

A valid point.

Clients attempting to swindle you was par for the course.

The rarer the commission, the dirtier the dealings.

The targets stronger than the client let on.

Or they’d try to cut the commission short just as you were about to succeed, so they could hog all the treasure for themselves.

“Yuzu. You know I am, above all else, a mother who cherishes her children. And a mother who cherishes her children would never bicker over money in front of them.”

Of course, there were ways to prevent such skullduggery.

A client might, perhaps, suffer an unfortunate accident.

Or the adventurers the client hired might meet with their own mishaps.

And any rescue efforts would, regrettably, be delayed.

Or the monsters might multiply suddenly, as if lured, inflicting heavy losses on any following teams.

The Guild’s advancement.

The Guild’s profit.

Such accidents were, regrettably, necessary for the greater good.

A stage ripe for the machinations of a wicked mind-manipulator.

Brainwashing one of our own team members.

Brainwashing an enemy adventurer.

Using a brainwashed pawn to make amoral decisions, instigate infighting in the enemy camp, or cause accidents.

So routine it was practically part of the ‘official strategy’.

But before I am a wicked mind-manipulator, I am a son who is proud of his mother.

Even if this pride is a falsehood woven by mind-control, as long as that mind-control persists, I have a duty to play out this lie to the end.

If I were to plant mind-control that undermined its own value, how pathetic would the life of the victim be, left to bear that devalued worth alone?

And when, with time, the mind-control isn’t refreshed and fades, the wounds would only deepen.

If the process of what they cherished becoming un-cherished is interpreted as their own corruption or decay, how immense would be their self-loathing?

‘Absolutely not. Everyone else, perhaps. But the mind-control directed at my mother must never break.’

Absolutely unacceptable.

“Found it! Untouched treasure, still undigested!”

“Enough! I will not permit the transfer of those items. This mission was solely intended for preliminary exploration. Transfer will occur at a later date.”

“To come all this way and say that? That’s too much! Do you know how many Digmas we’ve burned through!”

“I will secure separate personnel to retrieve the treasure. Let us return now. My contract ends here. If, hereafter, anyone lays a hand on assets within this ruin, our next meeting will not be pleasant.”

And so, when Yuzu finally unearthed the treasure, and the client revealed his true colors.

Instead of drowning the client or using mind control to persuade him, I earnestly pleaded with my dissenting party members.

“I believe our clan’s pride lies in Mother’s pride, in wanting to be clan members who aren’t ashamed before her, before the Clan Leader. No matter how many jewels we grasp, we cannot recover a lost sense of pride.”

“Ian…”

Humanity’s inherent greed.

Even knowing it’s a denial of natural instinct, I can’t help it.

I, too, am an inescapably selfish human.

My desire to stand tall before Mother is more important than the desires of others. The selfish presumption that my party members will understand my heart.

I am a Mind Weaver.

A deceiver who twists and manipulates the hearts of men.

Using this wicked power, I will…

“Please, protect our pride.”

Yuzu’s impure gaze ceased.

Nina lowered her hand from the bowstring.

Shoa and the others also calmed their murderous intent.

“Teresa, what do you think of Ian’s words?”

“I think they’re admirable.”

We may not have obtained jewels, but we earned Mother’s jewel-like smile.

That smile had already blossomed on all our faces.

On the client’s face, pure astonishment mingled with regret and shame for his own selfish demands.

That was the expression I should have been wearing.

The more shame and guilt the client felt, the greater my own shame and guilt became.